America May Strike Syria for Suffocating Those Kids With Sarin Gas ... But There's No Rush

maandag 2 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Cynthia Dermody Yesterday at 12:09 PM

 

Tensions are really escalating in Syria, and yesterday President Obama dropped a bombshell news that cranks the urgency to deal with the situation over there up a few notches. Remember that attack last week that killed hundreds of Syrian children? It turns out the chemical that was used was sarin gas. Sarin is an odorless liquid nerve agent. It stops your muscles from working properly, namely your lungs, so that you suffocate to death. Just think of all those beautiful children, and over a thousand adults, suffocating to death. I'm sure Obama has, and is as horrified as the rest of us are, which is why yesterday he issued this statement:

Here’s my question for every member of Congress and every member of the global community: What message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price? Make no mistake — this has implications beyond chemical warfare.

Exactly -- what kind of message does it send? That the rest of the world is a bunch of wimps for letting them get away with it, that's what. Why can't England take a stand first? Or any one of those other Arab countries around there? Of course, as always, it's falling to America to be the one to act first, like it always does. That way it's much more convenient for other high-and-mighty countries to criticize and blame us when something goes wrong. Because nothing in war ever goes right.

Obama's inclination to take action is right -- but his decision to let Congress decide if we do or don't is wrong. He's the president, if he feels we need to make a short-term strike, he should have the backbone to make that call and not pass the buck. Waiting till Sept. 9, when all Congresspeople return from the last of the their summer vacations at the beach with their families, is an eternity for all the Syrian people whose lives are at stake.

The extra time is exactly what Obama wants -- time to find allies and support around the world, because at this time, he's pretty much got nada. No one wants to get involved in another war, especially so soon after the mess of the last one. Even many Republicans and Democrats are divided. This could be one of the most defining points of Obama's career -- it could make or break his legacy -- and he an his administration well know that. So they are treading very carefully here.

The next couple of weeks are going to be very interesting for this president and for international relations around the world. I just hope as they do all their negotiating, political positioning and strategizing, they keep that video of all those children front of mind.

Do you think we should wait till Congress takes it's sweet ole time to decide whether to strike against Syria?

Image via Freedom House/Flickr

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30 Ways You Know Your Baby Boy Has Hit Those Tween Years (Sob!)

vrijdag 30 augustus 2013

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I have to tell you guys something pretty scary, pretty anxiety inducing, pretty unbelievable ... my son just started middle school. When ... how did this happen? Everyone knows, middle school is a major turning point -- a time of self exploration, acclimating to the social mores of tween/teen culture, learning which hair products work best, and feeling like a total loser (whether you have tons of friends or none).

It also reiterates the fact that they're no longer our babies. As terrifying as that is, I've actually been banned from writing about it. Seriously, after calling us moms of boys jealous shrews and exploring what to do when your tween actually pays attention to you, I've literally been given a writing restraining order -- imposed by mothers who can't stop sobbing and giggling ... while sobbing. Though I can no longer wax poetic, I can list the numerous indicators that your little boy has entered a big bad tweenhood. Here are 30 of them:

1. Ninety percent of his responses to questions are in the form of grunts, which can only be deciphered by tone and length.

2. He pretends not to know you when you drop him off somewhere or pick him up. "Dude all your friends know who I am, you're not fooling anyone."

3. His entire life is documented in a series of "selfies" on Instagram: "This is the breakfast I ate ... This is my bus ... How do feel about me? Use this handy emoticon chart to let me know ..."

4. He's saving for $15 socks and has become obsessed with sneakers and slides. (On the bright side, thank God someone else loves shoes as much as you do. On the down side, he grows out of them in a month.)

5. A text bings, he runs away.

6. He spent more time on his hair on the morning of the first day of middle school than he spent on his hair during the entire fifth grade.

7. He wants abs.

8. You have to explain the proper use of words you would never find on a vocabulary list, like "douchebag," so that he doesn't embarrass himself at lunch (expect new words weekly).

9. He locks the door behind him everywhere he goes and with such routine motion you begin to fear the people in Target will be annoyed by this little habit.

10. You have an urge to pry the headphones off his ears with a crowbar.

11. He went from thinking you knew everything to thinking you know nothing in a matter of weeks.

12. All of a sudden he has nothing to say to girls he's been playing with since nursery school.

13. He asks if you're dressed before entering any room, covers his eyes, yelps, or just flees -- as if seeing something, anything, would scar him for life and literally sear his retinas.

14. He went from this dirty kid in sweats and tees with holes and stains to caring if he's worn his that item too recently and if his breath is sufficiently minty. 

15. He vehemently agrues that he is right about everything with everyone, but the pets (though I'm sure I've witnessed mine in a heated debate with our dog). 

Thanks to my Facebook Fans for adding these doozies!

16. When you realize just how many products are made by Axe. - Leslie

17. The most used words in his vocabulary are "OK" and "so." - Julia

18. When shivering in a hoodie becomes more tolerable than being seen in a winter coat. - Sheryl

19. He has a panic attack if you get near his phone. - Michele

20. He rolls his eyes when you say, "How was your day?" - Loren

21. When How to Hug a Porcupine becomes your favorite reading material. - Tina

21. The answer to every question is the word "fine" but with various inflections. Mad = FINE. Tired = fiiinneeee. Sad = (fine). - Kathleen

22. Your taste in music suddenly sucks. - Jenny

23. Your monthly grocery bill starts competing with your mortgage. - Laura

24. His showers get longer and longer. - Leah

25. He insists on measuring himself back to back with you daily, to see if he's taller. - Leslie

26. When he's up past midnight, doesn't want to wake up for school, and on the weekends rises about 2:30 p.m. - Rachy

27. He asks you a question and as soon as respond, he tilts his head, curls his lip, and says, "That's your answer?" - Amy

28. You play BINGO and call, "O-69," you hear laughter and snickering, then a student announces, "It's just a number people, just a number." - Loren (middle school teacher)

29. When you ask him to explain something to you on the computer and he offers instead to make you a YouTube tutorial - Leslie

30. Suddenly you can pee alone. - Erin 

How did you realize you had a middle schooler?

Image via JenEcards/TheSuburbanJungle

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5 Simple Tips to Making Those Beautiful Flowers Last Longer

vrijdag 26 juli 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Emily Abbate 16 hours ago

It's not every day that a lady gets flowers. Whether they're from some special someone or you're buying them on your own, the added pop of color brightens up the home and has a certain way of making us all feel special. That's why there's no bigger bummer than when you finally get fresh flowers into your home, settle them into the perfect vase, and then within 24 hours, they're kaput.

So how do you change that? What's the big secret to getting fresh flowers to last for days on end? Check out these 5 easy tips to making fresh flowers last:

1. Put your flowers in water ASAP: Once you trim the stems of your bouquet on a diagonal angle, immediately place the flowers into water.

2. Aspirin: This one's new to me. Simply crush up an aspirin and put it into the water before adding in your fresh flowers.

3. Hairspray: Just like your strands, flowers will stand taller if you give them a quick spritz to stay put. Reader's Digest suggests standing about a foot away and spraying the bouquet on the undersides of the petals and leaves.

4. Don't overcrowd your bouquet: You want to make sure that air can circulate between each of the buds. If you use a vase that's too small, the flowers won't be able to breathe and may become bruised.

5. Use a little soda: Pour about a quarter cup of soda into your water to make your flowers last longer. For aesthetic reasons, I would choose something on the clearer side like seltzer or Sprite.

Do you have any tips or tricks of your own?

Image via Cameron Nordholm/Flickr

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